[HN Gopher] Europe approves first saliva-based contraceptive - n...
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Europe approves first saliva-based contraceptive - no pill required
Author : surprisetalk
Score : 37 points
Date : 2025-06-29 13:39 UTC (9 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (thenextweb.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (thenextweb.com)
| Metacelsus wrote:
| tldr: it's not contraception at all, just a cycle tracking app
| with salivary progesterone tests
| Propelloni wrote:
| Yeah, it is a medical device and has been approved as such by
| the UK standard body. Not "Europe" by a far stretch and
| certainly not EU.
| croes wrote:
| It must be some kind of EU approval or how would you explain
|
| > Following the regulatory approval, Innie's birth control is
| now available for purchase in Germany and Austria, with plans
| to expand to the UK later this year
| BrandoElFollito wrote:
| I think that just the fact that you can buy it does not
| make it a medical device.
|
| You can buy contraceptive devices such as a larger con you
| press between your knees (just kidding) but they would not
| be medically approved as contraceptives.
| alwa wrote:
| And more than a little Juicero energy, for a lateral flow
| strip:
|
| _"Inne's technology uses a lateral flow strip similar to those
| used in COVID-19 or pregnancy tests. Users place a small amount
| of saliva on the strip, which contains antibodies that bind to
| progesterone hormones. The strip is then inserted into a
| matchbox-sized reading device that takes photos of the strip
| over 10 minutes, analysing how hormone particles move and
| develop across the strip.
|
| The reader processes these photos using biochemistry and image
| processing techniques to determine hormone intensity, which is
| then synced to a companion mobile app."_
| noname120 wrote:
| > up to 100% effective
|
| That doesn't mean anything, 0% is included in "up to 100%".
| Leftium wrote:
| I think the stat was hedged because of this, further down:
|
| > ...100% effective when used perfectly, and 92% effective for
| typical use.
| cheshire_cat wrote:
| In case anyone else is wondering, that's their page:
| https://inne.io/pages/contraception
| slau wrote:
| This is actually a crazy important development if the results can
| be reproduced in larger studies.
|
| Hormonal contraceptives are absolutely terrible. None of my long
| term partners were happy with them--whether it was a hormonal
| implant, hormonal IUD or pill, the side effects have always been
| ridiculous.
|
| In addition, WHO classified oral contraceptives as G1
| carcinogens. So having a potential alternative is incredibly
| important.
|
| It is insane to me that as a society, we're fine asking women to
| "just take drugs" that mess with their reproductive system,
| affecting their mood, sleep, weight, libido, and blood pressure
| (and most likely a lot more I'm not aware of).
| 123yawaworht456 wrote:
| which society is that? who are those 'we'?
| BrandoElFollito wrote:
| My wife is very happy with her IUD. She had terrible menstrual
| pains and now it's all gone, including the blood (and related
| surprises).
|
| So it depends on the person.
|
| I would be super happy to use similarly effective male
| contraceptives.
| slau wrote:
| Yeah, that was my point, but obviously not very clear. It
| feels to me like male contraceptive offerings are basically
| non-existent, and that there is basically no
| research/innovation in that field because it's sort of
| expected that women will shoulder that burden.
| Aeolun wrote:
| I feel like it's more that woman have a significantly
| higher incentive to make it happen.
|
| Even if male contraceptives existed (in pill form), chances
| are they wouldn't be nearly as effective, since the men
| just aren't the ones that end up with the child if they're
| acting unsafe. You'd be mostly relying on goodwill for your
| contraception.
| fipar wrote:
| My wife asked herself for her IUD, and it made a huge positive
| difference for her. Her goal was just pain relief; we don't
| need contraceptives since I got a vasectomy after our second
| baby.
|
| Our daughter also asked for contraceptives on her own, and for
| the same reasons (though the contraceptive part is a nice side-
| effect in her case).
|
| No society asked either of them for this.
|
| I don't doubt your partners had bad experiences with
| contraceptives, but that's not a universal problem, and it's
| also why it's important to discuss them with the right
| professional to make the best choice for each person.
| slau wrote:
| I never said they had no uses! I'm glad they are effective in
| managing your family's pains (I've experienced that as well,
| so I fully understand where you are coming from).
|
| But that wasn't really the discussion I was trying to start.
| I realise I made my point quite poorly.
|
| I was lamenting the fact that because "female contraceptives"
| are a "solved problem", there is basically no research or
| innovation in male contraceptives. See sibling thread.
| fipar wrote:
| I see what you mean now, I'm afraid I misunderstood you.
|
| I never thought about male contraceptives other than
| condoms or a vasectomy, so I guess I'm part of the reason
| for the lack of research. That said, I suspect a
| contributing factor may be that female contraceptives can
| be used for other reasons (pain relief, having more
| predictable periods, etc) so that is also a big driving for
| research (some female contraceptives can be quite
| expensive). Of course, those side-effects are also what can
| make them unsuitable in many cases too.
| anon291 wrote:
| Catholics have been doing this for ages with urine tests.
| Ignoring any morality whatever, this 'tech' is really old.
| People malign it as the 'rhythm method'.
|
| However, keep in mind that with the 'in-use' efficacy rate of
| 92%, about 1/12 couples using this method will fall pregnant in
| a year.
| slau wrote:
| Which, according to the article, is the exact same rate as
| oral birth control and much better than condoms.
| hagbard_c wrote:
| Hm, not having read the article yet I had a quick vision of a
| product which gives a person such bad halitosis that the chance
| of successful procreation is reduced to an absolute minimum. No
| pill required, indeed.
| joezydeco wrote:
| A long, long time ago I worked for a pharma company that had a
| very large diagnostics division. hCG tests were their bread and
| butter.
|
| It was proposed more than once that the pregnancy testing systems
| could easily be converted to a conception advisor. The lawyers
| immediately swooped in and feared that people would use it as a
| birth control system (e.g. go for it on the days it says you're
| NOT fertile). The liability was too much for them to take.
| jawns wrote:
| The headline is somewhat misleading.
|
| The device tracks progesterone levels via saliva. It's currently
| possible to track those levels via urine or blood, but saliva is
| probably the most convenient.
|
| But here's the catch. If you desire to avoid pregnancy, you avoid
| sexual activity during the fertile window that the device
| indicates. This is known as a fertility awareness method, and in
| Catholic circles it's also known as natural family planning.
|
| It is not a contraceptive in the sense that it allows you to have
| sex during the fertile part of your cycle but not get pregnant.
| Aeolun wrote:
| Yeah, I thought about that while reading too. The big benefit
| of the contraceptive pill is that it allows you to not think
| about it at all.
| jonplackett wrote:
| 'Up to' 100% effective is the most pointless description I've
| ever heard.
| AnimalMuppet wrote:
| No, it can get worse. I've seen "up to X% off, or even more!"
| sometimes.
| jonplackett wrote:
| They're both equally useless since the most useless X could
| be is... 100.
| j1elo wrote:
| EUR21/month [1], and that's only if you pony up EUR500 upfront
| for a 2-year subscription... otherwise the shortest commitment is
| for EUR33/month...
|
| I wouldn't dare question the usefulness of this without much more
| reading, but the first impression I had when seeing the product
| page reminded me of the overpriced ink subscription for printers.
|
| [1]: https://inne.io/products/minilab-subscription
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